So my girlfriend Cherie calls me and asks "Have you ever painted muscles?" and I said "Sure". And I show her some of my drawings of male models and she says "No, Kristina. MUSCLES. Like this"
"OHHH. Muscles. Sure I can do that!" Cherie wanted to do something special to thank a good friend, body builder Mat Duvall. She showed me this incredible moment where he had just heard that he won a major competition. Cherie felt that it not only reflected his great physique, but the moment also showed his belief in God as he thanked Him in his moment of victory.
This picture show how I started with a monochromatic lay-out of the major muscles, making sure I was getting a good composition.
Here you can see me starting to layer acrylic paint. At this point, there is no white on my palette - the lightest color I was using was a creamy beige. I wanted to save the white until the very end to make the most important high lights "pop".
Cherie and I spoke often as I updated her with the painting's progress. That's always so much fun for me - to share with my clients how the project is progressing, to hear their feedback, to join in as the excitement and anticipation grows. We talked a bit about background color, muscle shape, and how much definition to give his Superman tattoo. Every element is important!
In the end, I think this turned out to be a great painting. I love the square format, the layers of color, the pose, the negative space around his figure. And I think Cherie titled it appropriately
Here you can see me starting to layer acrylic paint. At this point, there is no white on my palette - the lightest color I was using was a creamy beige. I wanted to save the white until the very end to make the most important high lights "pop".
Cherie and I spoke often as I updated her with the painting's progress. That's always so much fun for me - to share with my clients how the project is progressing, to hear their feedback, to join in as the excitement and anticipation grows. We talked a bit about background color, muscle shape, and how much definition to give his Superman tattoo. Every element is important! In the end, I think this turned out to be a great painting. I love the square format, the layers of color, the pose, the negative space around his figure. And I think Cherie titled it appropriately"I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me".
Thanks Cherie for letting me be a part of this great gift!
PS...keep an eye on my blog for follow-ups on Mat Duvall, his professional career, and the opportunity to purchase prints of this painting.
